A Brief History of Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Emissions in North America

A client friend asked me to explain what happened to our industry during the emission change that occurred in 2010. Specifically, what happened to International, but also the other diesel engine manufacturers during that time. With a perspective that encompasses more than four decades in the transportation business, I found it to be an interesting request. The changes to diesel engines started well before 2010.

It's hard to believe today but in 1969, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare named Chattanooga the “worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution”. Fortunately, in 1970 the Clean Air Act was passed. It was the beginning of emission standards and by 1974 regulators established the first standards for diesel engines. When I started in the trucking business diesels were dirty, very dirty. At the beginning of my career in the mid-seventies, Detroit Diesels were two-stroke, black smoke belching, oil leaking, boisterous engines. Cummins was introducing their 855, a 14 liter engine that would be their mainstay for the next 25 years, and International’s DT466, originally a tractor engine, was the leading medium duty diesel. All were controlled mechanically; electronics were nowhere to be found.

By 1985 EPA set emission standards for NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and PM (Particulate Matter) with heavy duty diesel engines. Every time the standards changed, parts on the diesel engines needed to change. In 1994 as the new regulations went into effect, electronic controls, changes to pistons, injectors and other changes to diesel engines became necessary. Most people look at the nine years between rulemaking and the deadline to comply as a reasonable amount of time to modify the engine design and bring it to market. But in fact, this was all new engine technology for the industry. They needed time to experiment, test, fail, try again, improve and succeed. It is a very expensive and time consuming process. Electronic controls were new, and the industry was experimenting with exhaust gas recirculation. Nine years went by and the engines that were introduced were not ready. They had durability and reliability issues and while some were better than others, every diesel engine manufacturer, Cat, Cummins, Ford, GM, International, Paccar, and Volvo suffered and with them, the dealers that sold them and the customers that bought them.

In 2006 the EPA mandated a reduction of Sulfur in diesel fuel and particulate filters were ushered in during 2007. Some regulations were being phased in, but all diesel engines need to be fully compliant by 2010. In 2008 Caterpillar announced it was exiting the on-highway engine segment. It is also interesting to note that because the regulations were to change in 2010 many customers chose to bring their purchases forward into 2009. Engine manufacturers continued to produce 2009 compliant engines until the last possible date in December of 2009. As a result, many of the purchases in the first half of 2010 were fitted with 2009 certified engines. It was not until the second half of 2010 that engines with the 2010 certification began to be sold to customers. Most engines were then equipped with cooled EGR, DEF injection, and a diesel oxidation catalyst that required diesel fuel to be injected into the exhaust stream. Once again manufacturers had big problems with these new components. Among some of the more notable problems, EGR coolers were failing, and sticky piston rings caused a condition called bore polishing. The entire industry had angry customers for several years. Reliability was sub-par, and the customers paid the price. Truly everyone was working with new unproven technology and engines were rushed to market. While it was bad for all engine manufacturers, it was a terrible time for International.

The darkest days of International’s history were under the direction of their CEO and Chairman, Dan Ustian. Dan had come up through the ranks in the company as an engineer in the engine group. He was convinced that with enough cooled EGR he could eliminate the need to inject DEF into the exhaust stream. Theoretically, it could work but it was a complex engineering challenge and there were space constraints as it all needed to be tucked under the hood of the truck. As the team of engineers toiled and experimented the clock kept ticking. 2010 grew near, but Dan forged ahead and as he did, stories began to be leaked about trouble with the project. It was reported that anyone who disagreed with Dan was quickly discharged. In March of 2007, International started to incorporate smaller MaxxForce engines into the product lineup.

The 11 and 13 liter MaxxForce engines were added to the product line in 2010. To say they did not perform as advertised is an understatement. The engines never gained EPA certification. After doing almost irreparable damage to Navistar and their customers, Dan Ustian was let go in August of 2012. Later Ustian was charged with defrauding investors at Navistar. The charges were settled without Ustian admitting guilt, but he was the first executive to ever have a portion of his separation pay clawed back by the SEC as part of the settlement. Ustian was also barred from ever having a position as an officer or director of a publicly traded company. Lawsuits came from every direction; many were not solved until recently. Due to the fiasco, Navistar lost hundreds of millions of dollars, their reputation and the trust of many customers. New management came in to deal with the problems and they did their best to resolve the issues and repair the damage. Troy Clarke replaced Ustian as COO. He certainly had his hands full and has never received the credit he is due for keeping the company from not completely imploding. In the end Navistar found a suitor. They were sold to Traton, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, in 2021.

Traton Group is a global powerhouse in commercial trucks. The company is a combination of Scania, MAN, VW Commercial Bus and Truck, and now Navistar. They are one of the largest truck, bus and engine manufacturers in the world. They have made huge investments in Navistar and have already introduced the S13 & T14, a new 13 liter engine and 14 speed automated manual transmission. This engine was a “clean sheet” design with dual goals of being extremely efficient and meeting the 2027 EPA emissions. Since the purchase, Navistar truck models have received numerous improvements, and an all new truck cab project is underway. It is an exciting time at Navistar and a great comeback story.??

While there is a happy ending for Navistar and their customers, this story is a cautionary tale. The underlying issue is that the EPA has pushed increasingly difficult regulations on the industry and the industry has been unable to keep up. With every release of new emission levels, it has taken several years of development thereafter to achieve the levels of durability and reliability customers expect and deserve. Should we anticipate anything different in 2027? The engine manufacturers are better prepared today than they were in the past to deal with the engineering challenges brought about by changing emission regulations. But if the past is prologue, some will get it right and others will have trouble.?

Finally, let's ring the bell and celebrate the improvements to clean air that are the result of the efforts of engine manufacturers since 1974. Once the 2027 EPA rules are in place, carbon monoxide will have been reduced by 85%, hydrocarbons reduced by 96%, NOx reduced by 99.13% and particulate matter reduced by 99.17%. Those are amazing numbers that do not receive enough publicity. It is something in which our industry should take great pride. And the next time you visit Chattanooga, visit Rock City, the air’s so clean, you will actually be able to see seven States.

Dayton Shepard

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